The PAC-12 may run the risk of beating each other up this season, but there’s no doubt the conference has a ton of talented players on both sides of the ball.
The quarterback play in the PAC-12 has been arguably as good as ever this season, and a QB is likely to win the coveted 2019 PAC-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Here are five candidates – not all quarterbacks – who could win that award by the end of the 2019 season.
Justin Herbert, Quarterback, Oregon
Long considered a Heisman favorite and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert has not disappointed in his senior campaign so far.
Herbert has completed a whopping 74.4% of his passes for 1,127 yards and 14 touchdowns through four games this season. He has yet to throw an interception, and his passing efficiency rating is a staggering 183.1.
Herbert is on pace to shatter most of his accomplishments from the last few seasons, and not only has a great chance to be the offensive player of the year in the conference, but he could become the next Oregon quarterback to win the Heisman.
Anthony Gordon, Quarterback, Washington State
Herbert has been a machine of efficiency for the Ducks, but it’s hard not to ignore the staggering volume of statistics that have been posted by Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon through three games.
Gordon has thrown for 1,894 yards already this season, with a stellar 74.9% completion rate and 21 touchdowns – lead of course by his nine touchdown game against UCLA.
Gordon does have four interceptions, his biggest knock so far, but if he keeps playing like this it will be really hard to not give him the award
He is on pace for nearly 6,000 yards through the air, which would shatter the NCAA record of 5,833 set by B.J. Symons at Texas Tech back in 2003. If he even places in the top-five, the award is probably his.
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Easop Winston, Wide Receiver, Washington State
The man on the receiving end of so much of Gordon’s damage done this season has been Washington State receiver Easop Winston, who himself has made a pretty compelling case to the offensive player of the year in the conference.
Winston already has 348 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns on the season, putting him on pace for just over 1,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. While he probably won’t reach those lofty totals, if he continues to produce big time numbers he has a chance to be recognized at the end of the season.
Jacob Eason, Quarterback, Washington
The former Georgia quarterback is having a very solid start to his career as a Husky, and while he’s behind both Herbert and Gordon statistically, it’s not impossible to imagine him getting the nod if he continues to play well and the Huskies go undefeated from here on out.
Eason has recorded 1,063 yards and 10 touchdowns through four games this season, along with a nice 73.1% completion rate and just two interceptions.
He has some catching up to do if he wants this award, but stranger things have happened.
Isaiah Hodgins, Wide Receiver, Oregon State
A true dark horse for this award, Hodgins plays receiver for a bad PAC-12 team, but the numbers he has put up so far indicate he could be a wildcard candidate for offensive player of the year.
As Oregon State’s only real threat offensively, Hodgins has already hauled in 23 receptions for 347 yards and five touchdowns on the young season. While he has a long, long way to go to move past Herbert and Gordon to win the award, he does have a lot going for him in a relatively inept Oregon State offense.
It will be hard for anyone to top Herbert or Gordon for this award, but there’s no question that the PAC-12 has a lot of talented offensive players in the 2019 season. Still, with no true offensive standouts in the Pac-12 South, will the 2019 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year’s best candidates only come from the Pac-12 North?